August can be such a challenging month! As the summer draws to an end, most families experience a little change of schedule heading into fall. Some of the reset is heading back to school, the end of vacation season, business schedule changes, and several other changes that August triggers.
It’s also a very challenging month for some who’s kids move into their next stage of life. Some are seeing the taillights of their child heading off for their first year at college. Some parents are finding themselves the parents of middle or high school students for the very first time.
Personally, this transition is more real to me because my toddler that I wrote about a couple years ago is now officially in elementary school.
A famous person once said, ‘The days are long, but the years are short.’ I just didn’t realize how short they were.
As we all experience some sort of reset this fall, I thought I would share the 3 areas of focus I have my sights on in hopes it is helpful for your transition as well:
Reset your morning - One area that influences so much of my life is my morning routine, and it’s an area that I really put a lot of effort into. To each their own, but hitting snooze just to wake up in a frenzy to get dressed and out the door with breakfast in hand is not a recipe for my success.
If this is an area you are looking to reset, do yourself a favor and read “The Miracle Morning” by Hal Elrod. That book completely changed my perception of the morning routine, and I could never go back to waking up stressed like before.
Reset your bedtime - Regardless of your morning routine choice, it is driven completely by your bedtime routine. This summer, I caught myself allowing our son to stay up later; which in turn led to me being up later; which resulted in some rushed and tired morning routines.
While I like to blame the longer days of summer, the truth is I was just not following my preferred routine. With the earlier bedtime schedule for school, it creates more margin to follow my bedtime routine of preparing for the upcoming day, packing my gym bag, and getting a full night’s rest.
Reset your goals - The most important thing about this reset is re-aligning with my long-term goals. We’re almost 3 quarters through the year, but summer has a tendency to put a lull in progress. My hope is that being more focused in these two routines, it will help me continue progress in the four F’s I have goals in; Faith, Family, Fitness, and Finance.
What areas do you want to produce better results in?
Many health and fitness professionals call it ‘the second new year,’ as they see a rush similar to resolution time with gym memberships. Whatever your goals are, make sure you use this transition to refresh your energy, motivation, and focus on forward progress in the areas that matter most to you.
Where could your life use a reset?